Is 'beggar's chicken' easy to eat but difficult to make?

The name may sound strange at first, but “beggar’s chicken” is a famous dish in Jiangsu, Zhejiang (China). With its rich sweet and aromatic flavor, “beggar’s chicken” can conquer any diner.

The name is simple and a bit strange, but the dish “beggar chicken” has a very special flavor and a unique way of preparation. Behind the dish is a rather interesting story.

Legend has it that during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, a beggar wandering the streets of Jiangsu province risked his life to steal a chicken from a local household because he was so hungry. While he was busy lighting a fire to cook the chicken, suddenly, the Emperor and his courtiers approached.

Too panicked, he hastily wrapped the chicken in lotus leaves and covered it with clay. Then, he threw the chicken into the fire. Unexpectedly, this accident created a very unique way of cooking chicken.

“Beggar’s Chicken” was once included in the royal menu and has become a famous dish to this day. The dish has become a culinary attraction of Hangzhou people, captivating even foreign tourists when they try it for the first time.

Chicken is sealed in clay.

Nowadays, chicken dishes are prepared more elaborately than before, but still ensure the delicious flavor no less than in the past. After cleaning, the chicken is marinated with soy sauce, star anise, clove oil, pepper, cinnamon, salt, and sugar.

While waiting for the chicken to absorb the spices, the cook begins to prepare the stuffing including pork, shrimp, ginger, onions, etc. All the ingredients are stir-fried until fragrant, then stuffed into the chicken and sewn shut.

Then grill directly in the fire.

Next, the chicken is wrapped in lotus leaves. This step is very important, care must be taken not to leave any part of the chicken exposed. Finally, the clay is applied on the outside. The clay used must be sticky, not too runny or too thick, and can be taken from fields or ponds.

Finally, the clay chicken is baked directly over the fire. When the clay cracks and the chicken gives off a fragrant aroma, the dish is ready to be enjoyed.

Western style clay oven baked chicken.

The dish “beggar chicken” is not too strange to the people of the Southwest region in Vietnam. Here, the dish is also called by the simple name “clay-wrapped chicken”. The preparation method is not much different, but both retain the original sweet, rich flavor.

According to Dan Tri.com